Time to Fight for Citizen Responsibilities'

In the historic struggles to extend and guarantee civil rights forAfrican-Americans, women, workers, gays and lesbians, those withdisabilities, and immigrants, American liberals have provided trulyindispensable public and political leadership. Because of theirefforts, the United States is today a fairer, better and more humaneplace.

But along the way, when almost every disagreement turns into each sideasserting and insisting upon its rights, the national debate has sadlybecome impoverished. When was the last time you heard a nationalleader talk about the responsibilities each of us has as an Americancitizen? Perhaps your memory is better than mine.

We live today in an increasingly stratified country, where youngAmericans can go all the way through school without meeting or knowinganyone from outside their own social and economic classes. Americansare disconnected from each other and nowhere is this disconnect morealarming and more obvious than between those in the U.S. military andtheir civilian contemporaries. In spite of all the “Support OurTroops” bumper stickers on SUVs and the varying mantra of how“proud” all our public officials, irrespective of party, are of “ourbrave men and women in uniform,” the American upper class is happy tohave all fighting and, yes, all dying done not by its own, preciouschildren but instead by the sons and daughters of waitresses,secretaries and firefighters.

Back when Ronald Reagan was a presidential candidate, 412 members ofthe House and Senate -- 77 percent of Congress -- had worn theirnation’s uniform in military service. Today, just 108 out of 535,barely 20 percent, have served. Interestingly, the two female Housemembers in that group are both combat veterans.

Advertisement

Lyndon Johnson was the last president to have a son -- or in his case,two sons-in-law -- serve, both in wartime. Franklin Roosevelt had foursons. All went to war. Elliott Roosevelt enlisted in the Army AirCorps and flew 300 combat missions. Jimmy Roosevelt joined the MarineCorps, and in combat in the Pacific, earned both the Navy Cross andthe Silver Star. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Franklin Roosevelt Jr.’s braverysaving the lives of crew members when under heavy enemy fire wasrewarded with a Silver Star. And Navy Lt. John Roosevelt earned aBronze Star during World War II.

It’s not just about who is in today’s all-volunteer military but alsoabout who is not. The last major star to serve from the entertainmentworld was Army draftee Elvis Presley. Because the country’s politicalleadership failed to draft upper class youth during the Vietnam War,the draft lost its legitimacy.

Here is the challenge to my fellow liberals. Let us lead by remindingour fellow Americans and ourselves that our citizenship, whilepriceless, is not free. We have responsibilities, beyond paying thetaxes we owe, to each other and to our country. Universal nationalservice and two years of training and service with no exemptions forevery young American could be the liberals’ summons to collectivesacrifice for the common good.

With a son or daughter in uniform, foreign policy -- along withserious questioning of any future president’s rush to war -- wouldbecome the central concern of every family. Beyond military service,other important national tasks include cleaning up our country,bringing hope to children at risk and help to the helpless, andproviding company to the lonely. We’re winning the fight for citizens’rights. Now it’s time to lead the fight for citizen responsibility.

To find out more about Mark Shields and read his past columns, visitthe Creators Syndicate web page at creators.com.